Urban Parks Bulletin Fall 2006

Fall 2006

Northeast
Surrounded by the beauty of the Frederick Law Olmsted designed Riverside Park, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy and New York State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt announced in May a grant of $100,000 for restoration of paths and gardens in Riverside Park. The funds will go a long way towards restoring Frederick Law Olmsted’s original vision for Riverside Park and will follow recommendations for park improvements from the conservancy’s 20-Year Management and Restoration Plan.

Originally possessing a commanding view of the Niagara River, Riverside Park, a popular park for neighborhood families and sports leagues, has suffered from changes and intrusions for decades, including the construction of the New York State Thruway and the elimination of the attractive minnow ponds. In recent years, the conservancy has dedicated many hours of volunteer work towards beautifying the green space by landscaping, planting flower bulbs and keeping the park clean. This new funding will take the restoration a step further by reconstructing historic pedestrian pathways and gardens in the 22-acre Riverside Park. The planned pedestrian pathways will follow the original Olmsted design and will surround a stunning new garden, reinterpreting the minnow pool that once graced the park. The flowing design of the restored paths and gardens will give visitors to Riverside Park a wonderful opportunity to see why it is a special asset to the Buffalo community. To learn more about the conservancy, visit http://www.joinolmsted.org.

City Parks Association and Van Alen Institute announced the grand winner of Urban Voids, an international design ideas competition addressing issues of vacant land in Philadelphia through an ecological lens. Waterwork, the winning project, was designed by a team from Philadelphia: Charles Loomis, Chariss McAfee, Juliet Geldi, and Gavin Riggall, who propose a strategy to reclaim vacant sites throughout Philadelphia by recreating them as public green filters by capturing and redirecting water flow. For more information, see http://www.vanalen.org/urbanvoids/.

Friends of Hudson River Park in New York City reports that in the last two years, New York City has taken dedicated parkland for a water purification plant and a new Yankee Stadium. Now it wants to build two garbage facilities in another park. To stop the erosion, several New York groups have organized a Coalition to Protect Our Parks. They invite all concerned park advocates to join them. If interested, e-mail al@forhp.org or visit http://www.fohrp.org/fohrp2.php?screen=news#goodnews.

Frederick Law Olmsted Park in Newport, RI is located on Bellevue Avenue — considered one of America’s most elegant streets. The unique trees within the three-acre park are labeled with their common and Latin names, including nine Champion Trees and the oldest Japanese zelkovas in the Northeast. A Seth Thomas Post clock has been added to the park, originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted as a “park-like” landscape that provided privacy for the occupants of a gilded era mansion. The mansion was demolished in 1963 and the grounds were purchased in 1998 by Judy and Laurence Cutler with a vision to create a memorial park honoring Olmsted. Visit http://www.americanillustration.org for more information.

On April 26, 2006 the reading of a Proclamation from Governor M. Jodi Rell started the observance of the inaugural Frederick Law Olmsted Day in Hartford, CT. This was the culmination of many years of work by State Senator Bill Finch and the Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and it was the public introduction of the newly formed Connecticut Olmsted Heritage Alliance (COHA). The success was due in part to the support of NAOP members. Featured speakers were Tupper Thomas, former NAOP board member and presi­dent of Prospect Park Alliance; NAOP Leadership Council Member Charles Beveridge and NAOP Board Member Faye Harwell. The conference was an introduction to Olmsted’s early life in CT and to the preservation work that has been done in parks throughout the country. In the afternoon Rudy Favretti lead a tour to two Olmsted sites in Hartford — the grounds of the Institute of Living and Old North Cemetery, where Olmsted Sr. and Jr. are buried. COHA is hoping that this event will help in our efforts to educate the public about the state’s Olmsted Heritage.

Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC) recently celebrated its biggest success to date with the grand opening of Schenley Plaza. Originally intended as a grand entrance to Pittsburgh’s flagship park, Schenley Plaza gradually became a parking lot over the past century. With the cooperation of government, corporations, universities, foundations, and community leaders, PPC removed the asphalt and replaced it with an emerald lawn, garden areas, local food kiosks, a carousel and a large tent for public programming. To learn more, visit http://www.pittsburghparks.org/.

Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, president of the Foundation for Landscape Studies (FLS) in New York, has announced the launching of http://www.foundationforlandscapestudies.org where one can obtain information on the foundation’s mission, goals and awards. Back issues of its publication, Site/Lines, can be downloaded from the Web site. If you are interested in learning more about the FLS or to be added to the mailing list for Site/Lines, contact Betsy Rogers at rogerseb@aol.com.

Theatre in Motion, an award-winning company based in NYC, performed an original musical for intergenerational family audiences this past summer, entitled “The Promise of the Park,” about the creation of Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted and the ensuing bounty of Olmsted landscapes. For information, visit http://www.theatreinmotion.com.

Weequahic Park Association (WPA) was recently successful in an effort to pass landmark resolutions proposing a constitutional amendment that would provide a stable source of funding for New Jersey’s state and local parks and natural areas. The amendment would reallocate a surplus of existing, environmentally-dedicated funds from Corporate Business Tax revenue to fund capital, maintenance and stewardship programs in urban and rural parks across the state. The funding equates to over $250 million over the next 30 years, with no additional cost to taxpayers. NAOP Board Member Kevin Moore, project director for the Newark-based WPA, testified on June 1 to the Committee on the Environment and Solid Waste, and with the organization NY/NJ Baykeeper, met with many state legislators to garner their support. The resolutions (ACR195 and SCR105) received broad bipartisan support in both houses and ACR195 passed on July 8 after additional lobbying coordinated by the Outdoor Recreation Alliance (ORA). The measure then passed on the November ballot with over 941,000 votes statewide. WPA and ORA are now working to secure additional funding through the Garden State Preservation Trust, which will also require a ballot referendum in 2007.

ORA represents over 35 statewide environmental organizations, sportsmen’s groups, affordable housing advocates and environmental justice activists working to secure a long-term stable source of funding for capital projects and operation, maintenance and stewardship of New Jersey’s state and local parks and natural heritage conservation. For more information on the legislation, visit http://www.wpapark.org/ or http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/ and search by bill number ACR195. For more information on the ORA, including a list of member organizations, please visit http://www.outdoorrecreationalliance.org/.

South
Pack Square Conservancy in Asheville, NC, has selected Susan Harper as its first executive director. Harper began work at the conservancy this past November. Harper comes to the conservancy from the Asheville Community Theatre, where she had a highly successful three-year tenure as executive director. She has also worked for the South Carolina Arts Commission, for the School of the Arts in Charleston and was executive director of the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County in South Carolina. The conservancy is building Pack Square Park, a six-acre, $17.5 million public space in Asheville’s historic central square. The park will include original art, two performance stages, a park pavilion, water features and a host of other amenities. It is scheduled for completion in 2008. For more information, visit http://www.packsquarepark.org/.

Mid West
Geoffrey Von Burg, a horticulturist at Oldfields (the country place era estate on the campus of the Indianapolis Museum of Art) is researching how to rehabilitate and interpret a portion of the orchard and vegetable gardens. No detailed planting plans for these spaces survive in the NPS Olmsted Archives for this Percival Gallagher designed project. He would like to correspond with those interested in “working” gardens of 1910-30s. Please contact him directly at gvonburg@ima.museum or visit http://www.ima-art.org.

West
Former NAOP Trustees Carolyn and Don Etter of Denver, CO, were honored by Colorado Preservation, Inc., at the 16th annual Dana Crawford Awards Dinner on May 9 as recipients of the Dana Crawford Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation. Colorado Preservation, Inc., described the Etters as having “ ... inspired the preservation of historic buildings and landscapes through numerous books, lectures, and consultations. Their work has furthered the knowledge of landscape preservation and protected the legacy of Denver’s park system. They have served many organizations committed to historic preservation in addition to jointly working as manager of Denver Parks and Recreation during Mayor Federico Pena’s administration.” For more information, visit http://www.coloradopreservation.org.

Frederick Law Olmsted’s very first experiment with parkway design, Piedmont Way (which was to be the northern section of a scenic “pleasure drive” that he proposed in 1866, running through the hills from Berkeley to Oakland, CA) is one step closer to rehabilitation! On August 8, the Friends of Piedmont Way was awarded a competitive grant from the University of California Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund to develop an historic rehabilitation plan for this seminal streetscape. Oakland based PGAdesign, Inc., commenced work on the plan later that month. With matching funds from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, PGAdesign also applied finishing touches to the Current Conditions Survey of Piedmont Way for HALS (Historic American Landscape Survey). For more information visit http://www.piedmontway.org.

Seattle Parks Foundation was joined by neighbors, city officials and private donors in dedicating two projects this June: a restoration of water and art features at the Olmsted-designed Woodland Park Rose Garden and development of a brand new pocket park, Lakewood Triangle Park. The land for Lakewood Triangle Park was originally set aside as part of the Olmsted plan for Seattle’s park and boulevard system. Construction was finally made possible through a $100,000 gift from neighbors Gary and Vicki Glant. For more information visit http://www.seattleparksfoundation.org.

International
The Quebec Government’s Ministry of Culture and Communications cites the 2002 NAOP Declaration on Mount Royal as a primary reference regarding the park in a preliminary version of a report about Mount Royal. The report characterizes the designated area known as the “Mount Royal Historic and Natural Precinct” from an historical perspective and elaborates on measures currently being set in place to protect and enhance this territory. The park (450 acres) covers approximately 25% of the total designated site.

The NAOP Declaration emphasizes the importance of the Olmsted concept for Montreal’s mountain park, recognizes the quality of ongoing preservation and restoration work and suggests that other areas on the mountain would benefit from a similar approach. Extending park pathways into surrounding urban neighborhoods and through neighboring institutional properties would “expand’’ the park and improve access to the diverse natural and cultural resources in the spirit of Olmsted. Quebec and the City of Montreal recently approved a five-year budget of $30 million Canadian dollars to be shared equally and put towards the conservation and enhancement of this unique North American natural and historic heritage site.

In addition, a new artificial skating rink located next to Beaver Lake in Mount Royal Park opened last winter to an awaiting public. The successful integration of the skating surface into a “modern and naturalistic” landscape setting that is part of an Olmstedian park was a primary objective for the city parks department, which managed the project, and for consultants Groupe Cardinal Hardy. The Beaver Lake area, developed in 1938 by landscape architect Frederick Gage Todd, can be found in the sector Olmsted referred to as the Glades. Despite a different vocabulary and form, the lake and surrounding open space area were eventually built where Olmsted had located a formal water reservoir and “a wide spread of turf” in his original plans. The area has also maintained the social and recreational functions foreseen by Olmsted in 1878. For more information, visit http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/.

Urban Parks Bulletin Summer 2006

Summer 2006

After a lengthy search the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy announced the appointment of Johnathan M. Holifield to the position of chief executive officer. He joined the conservancy in early June. For more information, visit http://www.BuffaloOlmstedParks.org/.

The Bronx River Alliance reports that March 21, 2006 was a historic day for fish in the Bronx River and an important milestone for the restoration efforts along the river in the Bronx as 201 alewife were transplanted from a coastal tributary in Connecticut to the Bronx River. The alewife will spawn in the river and migrate out to sea shortly thereafter. Their offspring will spend the summer in the river, migrate out to sea in the fall, and return to their home — the Bronx River — in three to five years to spawn. Visit http://www.bronxriver.org/Fish_Release.cfm for more information.

City Parks Foundation (CPF) in New York announced the launch of CityParks Seniors Fitness in the spring of 2006, offering free tennis lessons, yoga instruction, bike trips and fitness walking for seniors in parks across New York City.Like many non-profit parks groups, CPF's programs had previously focused on children, but the organization is increasingly developing and expanding programs for seniors as well. For more information, visit http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/.

The Fairmount Park Commission (FPC) and the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) are working closely together to improve the water quality of the Philadelphia, and in turn, maximize precious public resources. A number of demonstration projects are underway, managed through public/private partnerships, which will improve the water quality for the city's residents. Among them is the Waterways Restoration Team initiative, developed to improve the environmental quality of Philadelphia's parks and streams. The team consists of Water Department personnel who work closely with Park Commission and various Friends of the Parks groups to remove large trash — cars, shopping carts, and other short dumping debris— from the city's 100 miles of stream systems that run through neighborhoods.

Teams also restore eroded streambanks and streambeds around outfall pipes and remove sanitary debris at the outfalls. These efforts will result in the removal of blight from Philadelphia's steams and parks and more efficient use of public dollars as municipal agencies work collaboratively with citizen groups toward common environmental goals. For more information, visit http://www.fairmountpark.org/EcologicalRestoration.asp or http://www.phillywater.org/wrt/.

Fort Worth Parks and Community Services Department is pleased to announce that Fort Woof is ranked as the #1 DogPark in the nation by Dog Fancy Magazine. It is a finalist for the coveted National Gold Medal for the sixth time. For more information, visit http://www.fortworthgov.org/.

The Franklin Park Woodlands have been in the news in recent months as the Franklin Park Coalition in Boston works to save this historic 200-acre urban forest. A Woodlands Management Plan ― to address the spread of invasive plants, public safety and volunteer involvement ― has been created. This blueprint to restore the woodlands over the next decade now faces a political hurdle: approval and adoption by the Boston Parks Department and Parks Commission. Once approved, fundraising to implement the $1.5 million restoration plan will begin. More than 1,000 volunteers already work each year to clear invasives and tend the historic sites in the park. For more information, visit http://franklinparkcoalition.org/.

“Terra Firma,” the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation technical bulletin series’s historic landscape preservation, is aimed at municipalities, historic commissions and friends groups. “Terra Firma #2 – Caring for Mature Trees in Historic Landscapes” and “Terra Firma #3 – Identifying and Preserving Historic Roads” are now available through Shaun Provencher at 617-626-1376.

New Orleans City Park is like the little engine that could: it just refuses to give up! In the past nine months they have opened their Botanical Garden, Golf Driving Range, catering department, tennis courts and a children's fairytale park. Everything they have opened to date has been via donated funds and volunteer sweat equity. Faced with $43 million in damages, FEMA has reimbursed the park only $65,000 to date.

Parks and Botanical Gardens across the nation have offered assistance. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority recently sent proceeds from the sale of vehicles totaling over $6,000. The Si View Metropolitan Park District in North Bend, WA, hopes to send a crew to the park in the fall to rebuild a softball or soccer field. John Hopper, director of development for the park said, "We greatly appreciate all the help that parks and botanical gardens across the country have made. I wish I could say all our needs have been met, but that's just not the case." If you can help, please call Hopper at 504-259-1509 or e-mail him at jhopper@nocp.org.

New York Restoration Project in New York reports that this spring and summer, they are setting a record with three community garden restorations in Brooklyn, thanks to generous support from their corporate and foundation partners. Each project is a collaboration between community gardeners, landscape designers, corporate volunteers and their field crew. Combined, they have raised over $700,000 for open-space improvements and community development in the borough. For more information, visit http://www.nyrp.org/news.htm.

Georgia’s first-ever LifeTrail health system was dedicated at Collier Heights Park in the Adamsville community of Atlanta on May 20. This exercise system specifically targets older active adults and helps them maintain their maximum level of wellness and independence. It is made up of 10 Wellness Stations that provide low impact exercises that add strengthening, flexibility and balance activities that address the major components of a well-rounded fitness program. The stations were constructed along the walking paths in Collier Heights Park.

The LifeTrail was made possible by the strong partnership between Park Pride and the Friends of Collier Heights Park. Park Pride began working with Adamsville residents in 2004, and the Friends group was formed in 2005. The community identified the LifeTrail and a toddler playground as top priorities for park improvements, which transformed Collier Heights Park into an intergenerational gathering space. The LifeTrail was particularly important to the many seniors living in the community. Working with Park Pride and its Fiscal Partners Program, the Friends of Collier Heights Park raised $150,000 to make their vision a reality. For more information about the LifeTrail system, visit http://www.parkpride.org/newsl.html.

The new Prospect Park Tennis Center opened its doors on May 20. Tennis players from all over New York are now enjoying a new, first-rate facility, designed and built by the Prospect Park Alliance in Brooklyn with lots of input from Brooklyn's thriving community of athletes. Over the past decade the alliance has begun to take over the management of concessions in the park, traditionally considered to be the exclusive responsibility of New York City's Parks Department.

Although this has involved a tremendous expenditure of effort and resources, they are finding that well-managed and restored facilities are a hit with the public, government funders and private donors alike. For a public/private partnership like theirs, getting into the concessions business can feel like a gamble; but history has shown them that it's a worthwhile one. When donors and the public see that a park's facilities are managed responsibly, it's sure to pay off in the long run. Visit http://www.prospectpark.org/ for more information.

The Seattle Parks Foundation reports that the week of June 12 was a whirlwind as new artwork was installed at Homer Harris Park, a new community entrance gate was installed at Bailey Gatzert Elementary School, and dedication ceremonies were held for Lakewood Triangle Park as well as historic restorations at the Woodland Park Rose Garden. For more information, visit http://www.seattleparksfoundation.org/.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels recently launched the Race and Social Justice Initiative to ensure that city services, programs, facilities and employment are inclusive and accessible to all. Seattle Parks and Recreation conducted focus groups of employees, formed an employee Race and Social Justice Leadership Team, incorporated Race and Social Justice elements into work plans and performance evaluations, trained staff and significantly expanded culturally diverse programming. For more information, call Seattle Parks and Recreation at 206-684-8020 or visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/.